A/N: I'm... really not sure what suddenly inspired me to write this, though I will say the background comes from an anecdote I heard some years back. Folks, be careful when you go diving. This drabble likely takes place closer to Formatting era than later.
Tai was the only one still awake when Joe and Gomamon made it back after their mission, so he happily went to both greet and congratulate them on a job well done.
"Joe, Gomamon! You finally made it back from your mission! You were gone longer than we – GAH!"
Joe grimaced and rubbed his head. "Yeah. About that. It's fine, and it'll only last a few weeks."
Tai's face was painted with horrified and shocked disgust.
"Your eyes are blood red. Everything in there that's supposed to be white. They're blood red."
"Maybe because they're actually bleeding?" Gomamon said helpfully. Joe groaned.
Tai had never seen anything quite like it before, and despite having witnessed his companions injured and mauled in rather horrible and unspeakable ways, the view of a human's eye being practically dyed with red gave him a slightly unsettled feeling. Maybe it had actually happened before, but Kari had come over to heal the person before anyone could see… that.
"I had a diving accident," Joe stated, sounding tired and exasperated. "There was a pressure imbalance and blood vessels in my eyes burst. That is why they are red. Other than that I'm completely fine and it'll go away just like a bruise does, depending on how quickly my metabolism will allow it to heal. I do not have demonic eyes, nor am I a demon child that must have the evil spirit exorcised, despite what all those Gazimon insisted upon and hence why I got back several hours later than anticipated. I'm fine, Tai," he repeated at Tai's open mouth.
"You sure? We could wake Kari up and get her to fix that for you," the younger boy suggested tentatively.
"It can wait until morning."
Tai was still staring.
"You know this is basically just like when you get a bruise on your arm, right?"
"So your eyes are going to look greenish-brown in a few days?"
"Probably."
Tai blinked.
"… okay, you're the medic. So we'll let you sleep, but Kari's fixing you up first thing in the morning."
"That would be great," Joe nodded, releasing a sigh.
"Do you want that mission debrief now, or are you gonna just go to bed?"
Joe glared at him. He looked very intimidating with those blood-red eyes.
"They sort of are demon eyes," Tai said before he could stop himself.
"See, I told you Joe," Gomamon piped in. "If an entire village of Gazimon and now even Tai say it, it's true!"
Joe shook his head and picked up his partner. "Debrief after getting this fixed by Kari tomorrow, and I'll write something short up before going to bed. Night."
Tai gave a little wave. "Joe Demon-Eyes…" he mused.
"Good night!"